February 8th - Kent Adams, regional wildlife biologist, of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) will discuss wild turkey habitat and how forest landowners can enhance that habitat at the February 8th meeting of the Northwest Illinois Forestry Association (NIFA). The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will start at 7 pm at the Stockton Public Library, 140 West Benton Avenue. While Mr. Adams presentation will speak to forest management practices that are most beneficial for wild turkey habitat, many of the principles discussed will apply generally to many species of wildlife, both birds and mammals. He will also discuss the NWTF Seed Subsidy and Operation Oak programs.

March 12th - Tri-State Forest Stewardship Conference at Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, will offer 27 topics across five sessions.  Sinsinawa is located one mile north of the Illinois border and four miles east of the Mississippi River in extreme southeast Wisconsin.  500 to 600 forest landowners attend this conference every year.  One of the few places you can hear from professionals and experts from the three states’ DNRs and Universities as well as the Forest Service on all things forestry.  At this time, the registration fee is $50.  For additional information, registration, or directions, contact Jesse Randall at 515-294-1168 or Jay Hayek at 217-244-0534.

March 29th - Annual Dinner Meeting of the Northwest Illinois Forestry Association (NIFA) will feature Noxious Weed Commissioner and owner of PrairieWorks, Cory Ritterbusch, speaking about invasive and exotic species of woodlands and how best to eradicate them.  This presentation will be followed up in July or August with a field tour of one of PrairieWorks’ invasive species treatments.  The dinner meeting will be held at the Carroll County Farm Bureau Auditorium, 811 South Clay St, Mount Carroll, Illinois.  Contact Keith Arnold at 815-947-2941 to reserve a seat for $12. 

April (TBD) - (The date is not certain.  Date and time will be announced later and is dependent upon spring planting conditions.)   NIFA Tour of Greg and Cheryl Hopton’s property will cover tree planting demonstration, forest recovery from 2007 selective harvest, 2009’s planting of 3 ft to 7 ft container saplings, last year’s hardwood seedling planting, results of coppicing, wildlife food plot, orchard, and timber stand improvement done two years ago.  The Hopton’s farm is at 10414 South Crazy Hollow Road, Hanover, Illinois - take Route 84 about 1.5 miles south of Hanover to Crazy Hollow Road, turn right/east and drive 1.5 miles.

April 17th - Game of Logging - Day #1, sponsored by the NIFA, will occur in Jo Daviess County.  Ken Lallemont will teach this first day of the GOL series covering equipment, maintenance, physical forces, felling approach, and practice felling.  Only twelve students will be registered to assure sufficient hands-on instruction.  Registration closes on March 31st.  Contact Keith Arnold at 815-947-2941 for exact location and to reserve a place.  Cost is $100.

April 22nd - Open House at the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (FPL)  in Madison, Wisconsin.  In June of 2010, the FPL opened a new 90,000 square foot Centennial Research Facility.  At the open house, FPL employees will conduct tours of this facility, provide demonstrations of their research, and staff exhibit areas.  Current research at FPL focuses on five areas: advanced composite materials, advanced structures, forestry bio-refining, nanotechnology, and woody biomass and small roundwood utilization.  The laboratory complex is located at One Gifford Pinchot Drive, on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, about a 90 minute drive north of Rockford.

May 14th - Thinning Demonstration, sponsored by IWC, NIFA, and IFA, will be held at the Tom and Judy Syke Farm in Menominee, Illinois, from 1 pm until about 4 pm.  The Sykes planted walnut seedlings on 5 acres of CRP ground approximately 15 years ago.  These trees now have a closed canopy, but Tom Syke has a done a good job of side branch pruning.  It is now time to give the better trees some room to grow.  Steve Felt, IDNR district forester and Illinois Walnut Council pruning expert, will conduct the session and cut some trees.  This demonstration is free and open to the public.  To get there, take US Highway 20 west 1..5 miles past Menominee Road to Columbus Road, turn right and then left onto Rocky Road.  Follow Rocky Road until it ends, approximately 1 mile.

June 4th - Tour of Consulting Forester Kevin Oetken’s farm in Monmouth, Iowa, will start at 10 am.  The tour will take in three age classes of timber - a mature stand with a $7,000 walnut tree, a 20 year old stand, and a 2 year old planting - as well as Kevin’s shop which has a cycle venting kiln.  This tour is free and open to NIFA and IFA members.  Several NIFA members, having listened to Kevin's advice on managing their lands are eager to see how he manages his own property.   To get to the start of the tour, take Highway 61 to Highway 64 (on the west side of Maquoketa) and turn west, go 9 miles to the gas station in Baldwin.  The group will meet there and proceed to the farm.

July or August - NIFA Tour of invasive plant eradication work site will be conducted by Cory Ritterbusch of PrairieWorks, Inc. and Noxious Weed Commissioner of Jo Daviess County.  The exact date and location is dependent upon site response to eradication practices or burns, and will be announced in June.

July 31- August 3 - Annual Conference and Symposium of the International Walnut Council will be held in Middleton, Wisconsin, near Madison.  Attendees can pay for the entire conference or just register for a single day.  The agenda has yet to be released.  Details should be available in May.

September (TBD) - Forest Management Workshop sponsored by the Interstate RC&D is being planned.  Last year’s event, near Bluegrass (Quad Cities), Iowa, included sessions on Tree Identification; Tree Planting & Maintenance; Wildlife Habitat Management; Emerging and Reoccurring Forest Health Issues; Growing Quality Walnuts; Pond Management; and Portable Sawmill Demonstrations.  Registration was $20 and included lunch. 

September 24th - Wildlife in the Woods will be examined at the NIFA tour of IDNR wildlife biologist Scott Schaffer’s tree farm near Savanna, Illinois.  Details will be provided in late summer.

October (TBD) - Tour of Bill Hawes’ Tree Farm north of Woodbine in Jo Daviess County, sponsored by NIFA.  Mr. Hawes calls this “A Complete Novice’s Guide to Forest Management”.  He will also explain his various woodworking activities, saw mill, and photovoltaic solar system, time permitting.   Date and directions will be announced in late summer.